The purpose of this study was to implement Tier 1 universal expectations and Tier 2 secondary preventions, using a School-wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS) problem-solving framework with fidelity in a culturally and linguistically diverse urban elementary school. A mixed-method design was used to address the following three research questions. How can school leadership teams design and implement Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports with fidelity in an urban elementary school? In what ways can Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions, designed and created by a school leadership team, reduce disruptive student behaviors? How satisfied were staff members with implementation of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 preventions? Data collection was completed using office discipline referrals (ODRs), the School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET 2.0), the Benchmarks of Quality (BoQ), staff surveys, and interviews to aid researchers and educational leaders in urban schools in identifying successes, pitfalls, and areas needing improvement in the implementation of Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports in urban schools.

The present study used a multiple baseline design across settings to examine the effects of using an iPad as an alternative reinforcer on self-injury and aggression when reinforcement for appropriate communication was denied following Functional Communication Training in an adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID), and severe aggression. The study also assessed collateral effects of the intervention on the use of self-management to control aggression. Data indicate the use of an iPad as an alternative reinforcer decreased the duration of self-injury and physical aggression in an adolescent in a big box store, grocery store, and classroom. Instances of self-injury and aggression remained low during maintenance sessions and a six month post-hoc analysis. Collateral gains in self-management were made during treatment and maintenance sessions.

The purpose of this study was to answer the following question, How does one's conceptualizations of misbehavior account for the way classroom misbehavior is constructed, interpreted, and negotiated between teachers and students? The literature on school disciplinary inequities from 2000 to 2010 was systematically reviewed. Utilizing qualitative research methods, this study drew insights from sociocultural theory and symbolic interactionism to investigate discipline inequities in moment-to-moment interactions between students and teachers during classroom conflicts. Fieldwork lasted approximately one school year and involved five male students and their two respective teachers. Data collection procedures included surveys, face to face and stimulated recall interviews, and direct and video observations. Findings revealed misbehavior is a ubiquitous notion in classroom everyday life; it is also malleable and dependent on contextual factors. In addition, classroom disciplinary moments between teachers and students are greatly influenced by intra and interpersonal factors. The situated intricacies and sophistication of teachers' and students' interpretations of negotiated classroom disciplinary moments are also reported. This study also sheds new insights into the situated nature of misbehavior as it arises from teachers' and students' sense making of classroom disciplinary moments and the findings have implications for teachers, school administrators, policy makers, students, and parents/guardians.

Teachers use different rates of positive feedback with students who are high-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in comparison to the rates of positive feedback teachers' use with low-risk students. By addressing the differential treatment, it may alleviate some of the related negative effects students high-risk for EBD experience, such as poor educational and social outcomes. The study explored the extent of teachers' differential use of feedback toward students identified as high-risk and low-risk for EBD. The data were collected in 56 teachers' classrooms by measuring rates of feedback delivered to 1 high-risk and 1 low-risk student per classroom (112 students total). Results revealed that teachers used positive strategies infrequently with the students high- risk for EBD. Results further indicated that teachers were over reliant upon using negative feedback with high-risk students. Descriptive variables within the study, such as school-wide and teachers' self-evaluations of positive classroom strategies, schools' special education population, and suspension rates were further explored. Implications for professional practice and potential future lines of inquiry on the differential treatment of students at risk for EBD in educational settings are presented.